Grab a handful of power-packed dry fruits and nuts everyday
How often have you been bogged by your mother or your grandmother to have nuts and dry fruits with your breakfast? If you have not been taking these directions seriously, it is high time you start doing so.
Dry fruits and nuts like almonds, walnuts, raisins, dates, Brazil nuts, apricots etc are store house of various essential nutrients and are considered to be extremely beneficial for one’s health. From helping to regulate weight to cholesterol in the blood, these can work wonders for your body. What’s more, with a long shelf life, you really don’t have to worry about these going bad too soon.
Amazing Health Benefits
1. Reduced Risk of Heart Ailments
Heart ailments are quite common these days, thanks to the unhealthy foods that we munch on and the sedentary lifestyle that we follow. However, including a handful of dry fruits in your daily diet can surely help in reducing the risk of various heart ailments. Some dry fruits like cashews comprise of monounsaturated fats that play an important role in improving the health of the heart. These also contain Vitamin B6 which enhances coronary health, thereby preventing stroke etc.
2. Cancer Prevention
The dreaded “C” word sends shivers down everyone’s spine. If you thought that there is not much that you can do to prevent it, think again. According to health experts, dry fruits especially dried apricots are rich in fiber and phytonutrients that work to flush out cancer causing toxins from the body.
3. Cholesterol Regulation
Fried food is a hot favorite with all. However, the fact that one usually tends to forget while munching on these “goodies” is that these foods are have the tendency to increase the cholesterol levels in one’s body. However, certain dry fruits like pistachio contain fats that help in reducing the cholesterol levels. Doctors suggest that including cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, raisins and other dry fruits in your daily diet can help in keeping the cholesterol levels under control and your heart healthy.
4. Prevention of Anemia
A lot of people especially pubescent girls and women of child bearing age tend to be anemic. This can cause adverse effects on their health. What they need is a steady dose of iron rich food that will increase the production of blood in their body and thereby help in curing or preventing anemia. Dry fruits like dates, dried figs etc are rich in iron and should be included in daily diet to enhance blood formation.
5. Regulating Weight
Weight management experts recommend that people who are trying to lose weight should snack on dry fruits. Wondering why? Well, first things first, dry fruits have high fiber content and thus make one feel full quickly, thereby preventing overeating. Secondly they contain zero to low fat content and pose no threat as far as the weight of a person is concerned.
6. Healthy Skin
You spend lots of time and money in the salon to get that perfect, glowing skin. There is actually an easy way to get this. Just start munching on dry fruits. With the high amount of antioxidants that these comprise, you are sure to get that glowing, blemish free skin with lesser effort.
The Right Mix
As discussed earlier, there are a wide range of nuts and dry fruits available. All these have amazing health benefits and should be included in your daily diet. However, you need to watch your dry fruit portions too just like you do with other food items. Let us take a closer look at these individually and the amount recommended amount.
1. Almonds – 4 to 7 a day
- Regulates cholesterol levels
- Keeps the heart healthy
- Maintains blood pressure
- Helps in weight reduction
- Regulates blood sugar levels
2. Walnuts – 3 to 4 halves a day
- Reduces stress
- Destroys free radicals
- Reduces the risk of cancer
- Prevents formation of wrinkles and other signs of aging
3. Dates – 2 to 3 in the afternoons
- Boosts energy
- Improves digestions
- Fights or prevents anemia
4. Pistachios – 20g per day
- Enhances coronary health
- Helps in regulating weight
- Keeps blood sugar levels under check
- Reduces risk of diseases related to growing age
5. Figs – 100g per day
- Improves bone density
- Regulates blood pressure
- Beneficial in weight management
- Reduces insulin and controls diabetes
6. Raisins – A handful per day
- Prevents or fights constipation
- Regulates body weight
- Fights cancer causing cells
- Acts as a natural antacid
Dry fruits and nuts when taken in controlled amounts can prove to be extremely beneficial for your body and can help in preventing various illnesses. No wonder then that everyone from your doting granny to the lady next door recommends these miracle fruits to you day in and day out. So, go ahead and stock up on your dry fruit supplies today. Make a point to include these in your daily routine and you will be surprised to find the amazing changes that these bring about in your body.
Keep the quantity in mind and then go nuts over dry fruits!
Source: http://www.naturehealz.com/blog/the-power-of-dry-fruits-and-nuts
Disclaimer: All information, data and material has been sourced from multiple authors and is for general information and educational purposes only and are not intended to replace the advice of your treating doctor.
The views and nutritional advice expressed are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician.
